U.S. and world news for June 16

Gates and Xi meet: Chinese President Xi has met with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and called him “an old friend.” Xi said he hoped he and Gates could work together to help benefit both China and the U.S. Xi’s meeting with Gates came shortly before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to arrive in Beijing for a series of meetings designed to help smooth relations between the U.S. and China.

U.S. agencies attacked: The director of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Jen Easterly, says a gang of Russian hackers attacked computer systems at the Department of Energy and other government agencies. She said that the attack has not caused major damage. Military and intelligence agency computers are reported not to have been among those hit by the Russians.

Tornadoes hit TX, FL: Residents in the panhandle areas of Texas and Florida are cleaning up today after a series of tornadoes struck last night. Up to 200 homes wee destroyed in the Texas town of Perrytown and three people were killed. One person was killed in Escambia County, Florida. The National Weather Service said it expects there to be more severe weather in the South tomorrow.

Biden visits Connecticut: President Biden travels to West Hartford, Connecticut, today to participate in a summit on gun violence at the University of Hartford. Secretary of Education Cardona and former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords are among the other speakers. Later in the day Biden goes to Greenwich, Connecticut, for a political fundraising event.

African officials in Ukraine: A group of leaders from four African countries visited Kyiv in Ukraine today and met with Ukrainian leaders before going to Russia. The African officials want to encourage the start of peace talks between the Ukrainians and Russia, while also ensuring the continued availability of food and fertilizer supplies from both countries. While the African delegation was in Kyiv, the Ukrainians reported that Russia staged a missile attack but said their military shot down all of the incoming missiles.

Amazon’s robot deal: Regulators in Britain have decided that Amazon’s planned purchase of the company iRobot for $1.7 billion would not be anticompetitive and they won’t stand in the way of the deal. iRobot is based in Bedford, Massachusetts, and makes the automated vacuum Roomba. Amazon’s proposed acquisition of iRobot has not yet been reviewed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Cover photo by Gage Skidmore / Flickr Creative Commons